Balance of jobs, academics and driving

Student point of view: Driving costs money. We will make more money by going to school, money takes time, time should be spent on school, we have to learn to drive to get to school, but we have to make money to drive. It’s an endless cycle.

Parent point of view: Should my children be allowed to work when they have to go to school? They have to drive. They need a job to pay for a car. They can’t get a job while they are in school; they have to focus on their academics. This struggle affects so many students and is a stress that could be easily avoided.

Solution: To pay for car/gas/insurance/etc., students need a job. I understand that academics are important. So I offer a compromise: The student is allowed to have a job and drive as long as academic standing stays constant or improves and continues to be priority. I believe it will be effective because with a pattern of declining grades they will be forced to quit the job and start riding the bus, getting rides or walking. This is both an incentive to succeed and teaches students to balance education, work and a social life, as they will do later in life.

Everything is a balance. This is the time to learn how to balance life when everyday decisions aren’t as life-or-death. In just a few years we will be going to college and trying to figure out how to pay for tuition, books and find a way to eat another meal. Later in life we need to balance a job, driving, school, paying rent/tuition and extra things we enjoy. Give us some experience providing for ourselves and enforce the rules only when needed.